M6: Bertelsmann group (48% shareholder) has received 3 takeover bids worth over €1.1bn (press)

RTL Group, a subsidiary of the German Bertelsmann group, has received three takeover bids, each worth more than €1.1bn, for its 48% stake in the free-TV and radio group M6, according to the French magazine Le Point's website on 25/09/2022.

The three candidates are reported to be French businessman Xavier Niel (Free, Le Monde and Nice-Matin newspapers) allied to the billionaire MediaForEurope group and former Italian head of state Silvio Berlusconi, Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky (Marianne and Elle magazines, Le Monde newspaper) and a trio composed of Stéphane Courbit (president of Lov Group Invest, an audiovisual production company) Rodolphe Saadé (CEO of the French transport and logistics group CMA CGM) and the patron Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière (28^th largest French fortune according to Challenges magazine on 06/06/2022).

"Since the announcement (of the abandonment of the merger with TF1) last Friday (16/09/2022), we have been inundated with expressions of interest in buying back our stake in M6. This is why we are testing the market," said an RTL Group spokesperson to AFP on…